You know that people determine your personality from your wardrobe, hair color, favorite book, or career. But you may not consider that people also judge your character on the choices you make with your home's landscaping, including the fence you choose. Believe it or not, you can tell a lot about a person by their fence. Landscaping in general shows a lot about the owner's personality and how they want others to perceive them. If you are doing the landscaping around your home, you should put care into choosing a fence that fits your personality. Here are four personality types and their ideal fences. The Loyal Friend Are you the type of person who would drop anything for a friend in need? Do you enjoy hosting parties in your backyard and making friends with your neighbors? Those who are loyal, supportive, friendly, and down-to-earth will enjoy a short wood fence. Wood is the most common material we see fences made of in Utah. Low wood fences make you look approachable to a passersby. Wood is also a common material to use in Utah, so it will make you look more like part of the community. In general, wood is a warmer, more inviting material than metal. The Creative Type Do you like to make your own home décor, furniture, or paintings? Do you create and see art where others don’t? If you consider yourself an out-of-the-box thinker and have a creative mind, you’ll enjoy a beautiful stone or rock fence. You don’t see stone or rock fences that often, which makes them ideal for a unique individual. Plus, there are a million ways to arrange a stone wall, which gives you another way to be creative with your yard. If you have a creative mind and are looking for a fence that stands out, consider a rock or stone fence. The Practical Introvert There are many of people who enjoy the company of their neighbors; they like to talk to people and see how they’re doing when they run into neighbors on walks or at a BBQ. But they would also never give up their alone time. Many people also value the practicality of a fence over its aesthetics. If you fall into both of these categories, you want to consider a chain-link fence. Chain-link fences are very practical, especially if you’re trying to keep a dog or other animal in the yard. They’re open enough to talk with neighbors, yet the metal makes you feel more secure when you’re by yourself. Along with providing security, these fences are also low-maintenance, durable, and inexpensive. The Elegant Personality Elegance is not only a way to define style. Those with an elegant personality have big hearts and do everything with purpose and direction. Elegant individuals are open-minded, yet they take a strong stance on their beliefs. If you describe yourself as elegant, a wrought iron fence is perfect for you. Wrought iron fences are both ornate than functional. As strong as they are on the inside, they are also beautiful on the outside. They require more maintenance than any of the other type of fence we’ve mentioned; sanding and repainting are necessary every few years. Even though these fences require a little more work, the elegance they add to your home is worth it. They are warm and inviting when opened, and strong when closed. If you have a large yard you plan on adding several features to, such as a water fountain, rock, or tree, choose a wrought iron fence to match. Instead of adding a fence to your home after you redo your landscaping, choose a fence first and plan your yard accordingly. When you choose a fence first, the rest of your landscaping plan will easily fall into place. Fences provide security and value to our homes. After reading through each personality and fence, we hope you can choose the best fence to represent your personality.

Envision a lazy summer afternoon under the shade of drooping birch blooms. Imagine sinking your teeth into the sweetness of a Honeycrisp apple pulled right from the branch. Now visualize a cracked and buckling sidewalk, clogged sewer drains, and crushed utility lines. You can thank the silver maple for supplying that last homeowner’s nightmare.

Problematic Species

When you landscape your yard, you generally select trees to plant based on ornamental beauty or delicious bounty. But choosing to plant the wrong tree in the wrong place could prove cataclysmic. To avoid costly home damages or pesky bug infestations, think twice before planting any of the following trees and shrubs.

1. Silver Maple—Acer saccharinum

You might feel tempted to plant silver maples because they grow so quickly. But as a result of such rapid growth, their bark becomes brittle and weak. Ice or wind storms can easily damage them. Additionally, silver maples attract hordes of boxelder bugs and aphids who feed on their leaves and seed pods.

Most undesirable of all, though, is the silver maple’s aggressive shallow and fibrous root system. Silver maple roots have been known to invade septic lines and pipes. They can also lift and crack full slabs of concrete—so you might have to say goodbye to your driveway.

2. Russian Olive—Elaeagnus angustifolia

Nurseries imported Russian Olives decades ago due to their adaptability and resilience. They can thrive in almost any environment and populate very quickly. But for those very same reasons, many regions have now declared Russian Olives a noxious weed.

Russian Olives can quickly colonize an area, smothering all native vegetation. They can also grow dense and think, snuffing out all other wildlife.

They can quickly overrun farming areas and grazing pastures, often choking irrigation ditches. The shrub also produces long thorns that wreak havoc on agricultural equipment tires and livestock.

Since Russian Olives aren’t native to North America, they have few natural enemies. So left unchecked, they can overpopulate and displace widespread areas of native plants and wildlife. They’re also very difficult to remove—they easily re-sprout when cut. Getting rid of them for good may require multiple efforts of mowing, cutting, burning, and spraying. Save yourself the headache by planting a rosebush instead.

3. Quaking Aspen—P. tremuloides

Aspen groves are a sight to be seen come autumn. Their white bark and vibrant gold leaves turn into perfect photographs and paints. Most individual aspens look tall and slender, appearing elegant and unassuming. But below the surface, they weave a complex system of interconnected roots.

Aspens grow in clonal colonies with their extensive roots joining together to create a single organism. These colonies can span hundreds of acres. Consequently, they have not adapted to exist as single-stemmed trees. Their roving shallow roots may travel and break through other areas of your yard, sidewalk, and home’s foundation as they search for other plants.

Aspens also host over 500 species of pests, parasites, and fungal diseases. In order to keep your aspen healthy and happy, you’d be resigned to hours of pruning, spraying, and scraping. Since aspens only survive about 20 years in ornamental settings, you might not find them worth the effort.

Appropriate Plants and Conditions

Save yourself the headache of planting precarious trees and shrubs. Instead, choose plants that will benefit your property and regional habitat.

Plants native to your area will usually flourish and thrive, but you should still analyze your planting site. Does your backyard provide enough room for a vast root system? Does enough direct sunlight reach the south side of your yard? Assess your property’s environmental circumstances. Do they accommodate your chosen plant's needs?

Choose native plants and shrubs appropriate your property's conditions. If you do, you'll cultivate a healthy and vibrant landscape.

Have additional questions? Contact your local landscaping expert for plant suggestions and design advice.

When you sit next to a babbling creek, listening to the sound of running water, you feel serene. When you lounge next to a still lake or sprawl out on the beach, you feel relaxed. Water generates a sense of calmness like nothing else on earth.

Homeowners often want to harness this calm by creating a soothing water garden in their backyard. Our high altitude desert region makes creating a water garden challenging because of its temperature extremes, stormy winters, and dry summers. Despite Utah’s dry weather, water restrictions, and high altitude, it’s still possible to create a dream water garden in your backyard. You just have to be willing to make some adjustments.  

In this blog, we outline great water gardens ideas for Utah resident. We'll also highlight the considerations for maintaining these serene spaces in our high desert’s climate. Read on to learn more.

Consider Your Yard’s Orientation and Grade

Many homes along the Wasatch Front have naturally sloping yards. This slope, or grade, offers an excellent opportunity for a backyard stream or waterfall. Use rocks and boulders from your yard or neighborhood to create a more natural look for your backyard stream. Though your local landscaper won’t need to excavate to build this tiny waterfall, he or she can help you pick out a filtration system to keep the stream replenished.

If you’re interested in planting flowers or ornamental grasses around your water feature, chose the part of your yard that sees the most consistent sunlight. For example, your backyard might be north-facing. Sunlight hits your front and side yards throughout the day, while your backyard stays cool. Though this is a great place to escape the blistering summer heat, it’s not a great place for plant growth. Instead, consider putting your water garden in your side or front yard so that you can give your plants enough sun to grow.

What if you don’t have much of a yard? Ground-level decks and patios also provide great spaces for small water gardens.

Choose Native Plants

Yellow pond lilies, called Nuphar polysepalum, work best in local water gardens. As the Beehive State’s only native water lily, these plants have adapted to our harsh winters. The Uinta Mountains’ high-altitude ponds host huge numbers of these gorgeous yellow flowers. If you’re interested in adding yellow pond lilies, make sure your landscaper excavates a pond at least 18 to 24 inches deep. This depth helps your Nuphar polysepalum endure the cold winter.

Come springtime, pond lilies create an eye-popping aesthetic for you and your neighbors to enjoy. They also offer exceptional benefits to your water garden’s micro-ecosystem. Lilies aerate your pond and prevent algae overgrowth. They generate shade for any fish you might add to your pond, protecting them from predators.

Minimize Water Use

Utah is the second-driest state in the country. Water can be scarce, especially during hot, summer months. You can minimize your water garden’s cost and its environmental impact by choosing smaller, deeper water features.

Static features like reflection pools and ponds use substantially less water than waterfalls. These features also give you the chance to get creative. For example, some homeowners use metal stock tanks, old whiskey barrels, or planters to create small pools in their yard.

If you do choose a running water feature, keep the water trickling lightly and slowly. It will keep your energy and water bills lower and reduce evaporation. For larger ponds, install preformed features and surround them with rocks and plants.

Water gardens can encourage relaxation and reflection. If you follow these tips, you too can have a serene space in your yard. Contact a local Utah County landscaping company to consider your yard space and design a water garden that is well-suited to your property.

The leaves are falling, the air is chilly, and you're due for snow soon. You may have dusted off your snow boots and stocked up on hot chocolate, but have you prepared your lawn for the months of snow and frost to come?

Winter may sound like an odd time to take care of yard work, but you need to plan months in advance for a lush lawn next year. To make your lawn fresh and healthy in the spring, take care of these chores now.

Rake the Leaves

Sure, it's fun to crunch leaves as you walk and play in leaf piles with your kids. But don't let laziness get the best of you. Raking leaves is the most important step to a beautiful, healthy spring lawn.

Though autumn leaves make for great compost, they won't nourish your grass over the winter. Instead, leaves will make your lawn brown and patchy by blocking the sun. So rake them up and bring them to the curb. You can find bigger leaf piles in public parks anyway.

If you have a compost pile in the backyard, you can add your gathered leaves to it. Next spring, these leaves can nourish the grass instead of making it sickly.

Keep on Mowing

Did you think you were done with mowing just because leaves started falling? Think again. Mow your lawn until the grass stops growing, and you'll have a more beautiful lawn in the spring and a lawn that's easier to rake now. Plus, any extra dead grass could choke your lawn when the snow melts again.

If there aren't too many leaves on your lawn, you can mow over them. By crushing the leaves to tiny bits, you'll give your lawn much-needed nourishment to prepare for the months of snow ahead.

Aerate Your Lawn

Chances are, your grass will spend much of winter smothered under a layer of snow. Autumn is the time to get fresh air to your lawn's roots, especially after months of picnic lunches, games of tag, and summer yard work compact the soil. Compacted soil prevents roots from getting the air and nutrients they need. Fix that problem before your grass has to hibernate.

Aerate at least a couple weeks before the first snow of the season. Your lawn needs time to heal and grow its roots together again.

Apply Fertilizer

After a healthy growing season, the soil around your lawn may lack some key nutrients. Once you aerate and heal your lawn, add a great fertilizer or the contents of your compost pile to make the soil rich and healthy again.

Turn Off the Sprinkler Systems and Store the Lawnmower

When temperatures start to sink below freezing, turn off your sprinkler system. You don't want to start off the winter with a burst pipe and a layer of ice in your backyard.

With the water shut off, you can safely pack up the rest of your lawn-care tools. When you stow your lawnmower, however, siphon the gas out of the tank, disconnect the spark plugs, and drain oil from the engine. Fluids left in the mower over winter can leave residue on the machinery that could cause rust and worse performance in the future.

While your mower is down for the winter, you can remove the blades, sharpen them, and clean out the undercarriage. By spring, you'll have a clean machine ready for another season of regular mowing.

Before the first frost, head to your local home improvement store to pick up fertilizer, rent an aerator, and learn how to winterize your lawnmower. If you need more personalized help, call a local landscaping company. They'll know enough about the local grass species, the soil quality, and the climate to prepare your lawn for the months ahead.

Have a great winter!

Everyone wants a healthy green and lush lawn. Below are some relatively easy and simple rules to follow to yield a yard of envy. Mowing Mow weekly and make sure to use sharp mower blades (be careful not to cut too short) Cutting your lawn weekly will stimulate good healthy growth as well as cut down (pun intended) on the presence of weeds. Try and avoid cutting a wet lawn, you will not get a good clean cut and you will dull your mower blades. Also, a good rule when determining how low to cut is to never cut more than 1/3 of the length of the grass at a time. Whenever possible, mulching the cut grass back into your lawn will eliminate the need for bagging and the short clippings will fertilize your lawn in the process. Watering Use irrigation water whenever possible. Water deeply but infrequently. A common mistake is to over water your lawn. You should avoid daytime and nighttime watering. The best time of the day to water is dawn and dusk. Watering at night can create prolonged moisture and can create disease in your grass. Watering during the day can cause water loss through evaporation. Fertilizing Your lawn needs proper fertilization but mixing or over fertilizing can damage your grass. You can have your soil sampled every few years to determine your soil content for around $20. In general , IFA is a good resource to go to with questions about what fertilizer will work for your lawn Another alternative is to use a paid service that will create a fertilization program customized to your soil and lawn conditions. Pest Control The best way to prevent pests, disease and weeds is to grow a thick, lush, vigorous lawn. If you do need to use herbicides there are two categories to be aware of: 1. Pre-emergents - these prevent weeds from germinating and are only applied yearly 2. Post-emergents - these are used after the weed is already visible. They also are used to kill broadleaf weeds, such as dandelions, chickweed, or unwanted grass like crab grass, quack grass or even wild varieties of rye or bluegrass that cannot be prevented by mowing or hand-pulling. Enjoy After spending all that time prepping, watering, mowing and fertilizing your lawn, it is time to reward yourself by enjoying the fruits of your labor. Grab a cold drink, sit in the sun, wriggle your feet in the grass and simply enjoy that beautiful lawn.